This is a lesson about water and water-ice. Learners will explore the molecular geometry and mechanics of ice. They will create a model of H2O, investigate its molecular structure and its consistent shape. Faraday's experiment is used as background....(View More) Activities include small group miming, speaking, drawing, and/or writing. This is lesson 2 of 12 in the unit, Exploring Ice in the Solar System.(View Less)

This is a lesson about the phenomenon of ice and about scientific inquiry. Learners will ask scientific questions about ice, will delve into the nature of science, embark upon scientific inquiry, and will practice scientific enterprise. Activities...(View More) include thinking and acting like scientists and keeping scientific journals. Also includes an activity called "Act Out the Science" - a whole group participatory activity in which students participate as characters acting out the parts of a story. An optional small group version is included in which students act out their own stories. This is the introductory lesson for Exploring Ice in the Solar System.(View Less)

This is a activity about applying the scientific method to a design challenge. Learners will design and build a platform that will be placed on a heat source. The platform is expected to serve as an insulator for a cube of gelatin. The goal is to...(View More) keep the inside temperature of the gelatin cube as cool as possible. Materials cost will vary, depending on materials chosen by group (within budget set by the teacher). Ties are made to the Mercury MESSENGER mission. Note: the student guide starts on p. 17 of the PDF.(View Less)

This is a lesson about the energy output of the Sun. Learners will consider the essential question, "How much energy does sunlight provide to the Earth and what is its role in the Earth’s energy resources?" Activities include building a device to...(View More) measure the solar constant - the amount of energy in sunlight - calculating the amount of energy arriving at the Earth from the Sun, and describing the differences in solar radiation at Mercury compared to Earth. This is activity 1 of 4 in the module, Staying Cool. Note: the student guide starts on p. 21 of the PDF.(View Less)

This is a detailed lesson about heat transfer and distance. Learners will design and conduct experiments to answer the question, "how does distance and inclination affect the amount of heat received from a heat source?" They will measure heat change...(View More) as a function of distance or viewing angle. From that experiment, they will identify how the MESSENGER mission to Mercury takes advantage of these passive cooling methods to keep the spacecraft comfortable in a high-temperature environment. This is lesson 3 from MESSENGER Education Module: Staying Cool. Note: the student guide starts on p. 24 of the PDF.(View Less)

This is a lesson about passive cooling methods. Learners will construct a simple device to measure how effective different materials are for protecting against sunlight, explain how heat relates to the motion of atoms and molecules, describe how...(View More) heat can be transmitted from one place to another, explain how sunlight arriving on Earth interacts with matter, and describe how MESSENGER is protected by a simple sunshade in the hot Mercurian environment. Materials required to do this activity include several commonly-found items (e.g., coffee cans, ice cubes, tape, ruler, calculators, stopwatch, and scale). This is lesson 3 of 4 at the Grade 9-12 range of "Staying Cool."(View Less)

This is a lesson about elemental abundance in solar wind. Learners will count elements extracted from a simulated sample and learn how the extraction of atoms from the Genesis samples help scientists have a better understanding of the abundances of...(View More) elements from the solar wind. The hands-on experience helps students to discover that the elemental abundances from the sun can be used as a baseline to compare with the diverse bodies of our solar system.(View Less)

This is a lesson about elemental abundance in solar wind. Learners will simulate the extraction of elements from the Genesis wafers by counting elements extracted from a simulated sample. This will help them learn how the Genesis samples help...(View More) scientists have a better understanding of the abundances of elements from the solar wind - and how they can be used as a baseline to compare with the diverse bodies of our solar system.(View Less)

This is a lesson about the connection between meteorites and asteroids, focusing on remote-sensing techniques using light. Learners will make and record observations and measurements; analyze data and draw analogies; compare samples; measure and...(View More) record the brightness of spectral light; discover the composition of white light; participate in introductory quantitative spectroscopy experiments; set up, conduct and analyze a reflected light experiment; and recognize/discover that different materials reflect different proportions of incident light. Activities, vocabulary words, and experimental extensions are included. This is lesson 5 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries.(View Less)

This is a lesson about impact craters; the relationships between crater size, projectile size and projectile velocity; and the transfer of energy in the cratering process. Learners will create plaster of Paris or layered dry impact craters and...(View More) conduct controlled experiments using mass and velocity as the independent variables. Energy calculations for advanced classes, and vocabulary words are included. This is lesson 6 of 19 in Exploring Meteorite Mysteries.(View Less)